Do what you love...in between work commitments, and family commitments, and commitments that tend to pop up and take immediate precedence over doing the thing you love. Because the bottom line is that life is short, and you owe it to yourself to spend the majority of it giving yourself wholly and completely to something you absolutely hate, and 20 minutes here and there doing what you feel you were put on this earth to do.

I can't I'm an atheist and a dual American/Canadian citizen which pretty much makes me a socialist in the eyes of the masses, and as you know that Hitler fellow was a member of the national socialist party so therefor socialists are all evil mass murderers.....

No but seriously American politics make Canadian politics look rational sane and progressive and that is saying a lot.

It was actually a half serious question though. Watterson (if these are his actual words) seems to take for granted that avarice and excess are bad. I don't agree. Accumulation of wealth is the most important part of my role as the provider for my family. Excess isn't exactly good but the fact is that it's subjective. If I buy a nice bottle of scotch the guy behind me buying a cheap bottle of rum may feel that my purchase is excessive meanwhile the guy buying a really nice bottle of scotch at the next register over thinks we are both peons.

Egoy3k:Accumulation of wealth is the most important part of my role as the provider for my family.

It seems to me that accumulating wealth is not the same as providing. Accumulating wealth says nothing about that for that wealth is used, whereas providing indicates use. Accumulating wealth means you're constantly seeking more and more wealth beyond what one uses. After all, how can you accumulate something if you're using it and attaining it at the same rate?

That was a great comic strip in the link there, inspiring. And Watterson is awesome, C&H is one of my all-time favs.

But it's so fundamentally flawed.

ftfa: "The only way to learn how to write and draw is by writing and drawing ... to persist in the face of continual rejection requires a deep love of the work itself, "

Not everyone gets to hit a home run, there can only be so many cartoonists and people doing "what they want".There are two types of work: creative, and non-creative. And for some reason, all these inspiration posts here and on 9gag and all over social media keep sending the message that you must be creative to be happy. What about my mom who loves numbers and worked as an accountant for years? Was she a sell-out with no soul because she didn't try to become an abstract painter?

And for every Bill Watterson or Eminem who teaches "just never give up", there are a million kids who will become adults who will never ever make it. There's only so much room at the top. Even at the "barely livable" area, there's only so much room. For every Eminem that made it, there's a million people who never will, and will live in poverty.

What if someone's self-worth is defined by how much they provide for their family, and they know that to do that they must be a lawyer or work in finance? By the reasoning in the linked article, that guy's a sell-out with no soul.

gnosis301:Egoy3k: Accumulation of wealth is the most important part of my role as the provider for my family.

It seems to me that accumulating wealth is not the same as providing. Accumulating wealth says nothing about that for that wealth is used, whereas providing indicates use. Accumulating wealth means you're constantly seeking more and more wealth beyond what one uses. After all, how can you accumulate something if you're using it and attaining it at the same rate?

Sometimes things get suddenly expensive, like college, and braces, and medical bills. It's not enough to simply remain static that implies a sever lack of planning and security.

sure haven't:And for some reason, all these inspiration posts here and on 9gag and all over social media keep sending the message that you must be creative to be happy

They're probably written by creatives for creatives. If it doesn't speak to you, then it doesn't speak to you. Don't expect every message to be either tailored for you or to be watered down to appeal to everybody.

Egoy3k:It was actually a half serious question though. Watterson (if these are his actual words) seems to take for granted that avarice and excess are bad. I don't agree. Accumulation of wealth is the most important part of my role as the provider for my family. Excess isn't exactly good but the fact is that it's subjective. If I buy a nice bottle of scotch the guy behind me buying a cheap bottle of rum may feel that my purchase is excessive meanwhile the guy buying a really nice bottle of scotch at the next register over thinks we are both peons.

I agree 100%. I tried to say the same thing, but used twice as many words to say it half as good.

gnosis301:sure haven't: And for some reason, all these inspiration posts here and on 9gag and all over social media keep sending the message that you must be creative to be happy

They're probably written by creatives for creatives. If it doesn't speak to you, then it doesn't speak to you. Don't expect every message to be either tailored for you or to be watered down to appeal to everybody.

But it is meant for everyone. All these messages are meant to be universal to everyone.

And before anything goes any further, I work in a creative field, and have been lucky enough to make a fine living at it. But for every me, there's tons more who won't.

gnosis301:sure haven't: But it is meant for everyone. All these messages are meant to be universal to everyone.

Howso?

Just the way they're written I guess. They all have this universal writing. "we're meant for something better", etc.Even saying "you" implies that it's meant for any person on earth who reads it. If it was meant to be only for creative-minded people, then it would say that somehow. But they don't.

sure haven't:That was a great comic strip in the link there, inspiring. And Watterson is awesome, C&H is one of my all-time favs.

But it's so fundamentally flawed.

ftfa: "The only way to learn how to write and draw is by writing and drawing ... to persist in the face of continual rejection requires a deep love of the work itself, "

Not everyone gets to hit a home run, there can only be so many cartoonists and people doing "what they want".There are two types of work: creative, and non-creative. And for some reason, all these inspiration posts here and on 9gag and all over social media keep sending the message that you must be creative to be happy. What about my mom who loves numbers and worked as an accountant for years? Was she a sell-out with no soul because she didn't try to become an abstract painter?

And for every Bill Watterson or Eminem who teaches "just never give up", there are a million kids who will become adults who will never ever make it. There's only so much room at the top. Even at the "barely livable" area, there's only so much room. For every Eminem that made it, there's a million people who never will, and will live in poverty.

What if someone's self-worth is defined by how much they provide for their family, and they know that to do that they must be a lawyer or work in finance? By the reasoning in the linked article, that guy's a sell-out with no soul.

I too don't like to listen to advice from someone who's lavished in freakish success. ...I'm one of the unsuccessfuls...

But I have no respect for someone who continues in a soul-crushing job, by reason of complacency or fear or obligation. Just shut up and do your soul-crushing job; if that's what you choose, then do it and stop whining. (not saying you're a whiner)

Some of us would rather face the fear and obscurity of being unsuccessful, so we can have a clear conscious and soul. Get some balls, take the leap from soul-crushing job to picking up your own personal path; or shut the hell up about your lot in life.

Reading this got me thinking and I realized that I was 11 when Bloom County started. I was 26 when Calvin and Hobbes ended. Man - I had no idea how lucky I was to get to read both of those throughout my youth.

Mjeck:I too don't like to listen to advice from someone who's lavished in freakish success. ...I'm one of the unsuccessfuls...

But I have no respect for someone who continues in a soul-crushing job, by reason of complacency or fear or obligation. Just shut up and do your soul-crushing job; if that's what you choose, then do it and stop whining. (not saying you're a whiner)

Some of us would rather face the fear and obscurity of being unsuccessful, so we can have a clear conscious and soul. Get some balls, take the leap from soul-crushing job to picking up your own personal path; or shut the hell up about your lot in life.

You must've missed my comment up a bit. I don't work in a soul crushing job. I love what I do and am incredibly lucky and thankful for that.

I guess maybe these things just don't apply to me so I see them the wrong way. There's something to be said for going for your dream, absolutely. It's just; the dream can only come true for so many people. I have more respect for a guy that does what he hates, because it puts a roof over his family, then the guy who quits the sure thing to try and "make it", meanwhile his kids go without.

The last two major projects I've worked on for the last six months were either cancelled or nixed last week due to poor planning and lack of communication. Yesterday I realized that I could have spent the last six months at my desk with my thumb up my ass and it would have had the same net effect to the organization.

This strip just about made me cry. I need to get the fark out of here.

xalres:The last two major projects I've worked on for the last six months were either cancelled or nixed last week due to poor planning and lack of communication. Yesterday I realized that I could have spent the last six months at my desk with my thumb up my ass and it would have had the same net effect to the organization.

This strip just about made me cry. I need to get the fark out of here.

My entire summer has been me, sitting on my ass, because we might have a client that needs me to work in France for 6-12 months (and therefore moving my entire family over there). So, not only can I be on no long term projects at work, I can't even plan any long term personal projects. So both my work life and personal life are suffering on the possibility of this major (and very exciting) opportunity. I am trying to hold out, but I am getting stressed out over it. They keep pushing the "official announcement date" back and now I just want some freaking closure on "yes or no" so I can get on with my life!

Bill Watterson will probably not be weeping and grinding his teeth on his deathbed about all the things he never had a chance to do, that he was gypped out of having a life and had to settle for an existence. I envy him. Nearly all of the rest of us will end that way.

sure haven't:Mjeck: I too don't like to listen to advice from someone who's lavished in freakish success. ...I'm one of the unsuccessfuls...

But I have no respect for someone who continues in a soul-crushing job, by reason of complacency or fear or obligation. Just shut up and do your soul-crushing job; if that's what you choose, then do it and stop whining. (not saying you're a whiner)

Some of us would rather face the fear and obscurity of being unsuccessful, so we can have a clear conscious and soul. Get some balls, take the leap from soul-crushing job to picking up your own personal path; or shut the hell up about your lot in life.

You must've missed my comment up a bit. I don't work in a soul crushing job. I love what I do and am incredibly lucky and thankful for that.

I guess maybe these things just don't apply to me so I see them the wrong way. There's something to be said for going for your dream, absolutely. It's just; the dream can only come true for so many people. I have more respect for a guy that does what he hates, because it puts a roof over his family, then the guy who quits the sure thing to try and "make it", meanwhile his kids go without.

Your issue here is you are still equating massive success with achieving the dream. You don't have to be a massive success relative to others to live out a dream. Dreams come in all makes and models and deep down most folks dreams are quite humble. The real point is simple:

Life is too short, do what makes you happy.

Everything else is window dressing for that message. If having your family well fed and secure in their financial future is your dream then you should attack it with the same zeal and never say die mentality the "creative types" apply to being artists.

The other truism in the link is most humans get increasingly better at doing what they do the more they do it. So if you want to be a writer, write; if you want to be an accountant, account. If there is something you want to do there is almost never any benefit to putting off starting it. Yoda and Nike are both 100 percent correct.

Sudo_Make_Me_A_Sandwich:Do what you love...in between work commitments, and family commitments, and commitments that tend to pop up and take immediate precedence over doing the thing you love. Because the bottom line is that life is short, and you owe it to yourself to spend the majority of it giving yourself wholly and completely to something you absolutely hate, and 20 minutes here and there doing what you feel you were put on this earth to do.

Love Watterson, love Calvin & Hobbes, love his philosophy on his life and his work. However that works for almost noone. I work in Advertising and it is a soul sucking nightmare of artistic compromise and disappointment. It does allow me to provide for my family and that is priority one over my happiness with my job. I am always looking for a better opportunity than what Ive got, but havent found it yet. Unfortunately, I dont have the resources to "leave and go follow my dreams", Ive got kids to think about. I do love Watterson for turning down the licensing. THAT took enormous balls and its the sign of a man that is truly happy with what hes got. No greed there. So rare hes almost an extinct species.

To artists and creative types - love the art, the act of creation and expression. If your interest is in publishing, selling, or making money, you're doomed to spend your time fighting to be one of the handful that "makes it". Why surrender your happiness, livelihood, and future to a low-percentage shot that has more to do with luck and almost nothing to do with talent? Actors, painters, sculptors, dancers, musicians, etc. all face this issue.

Do what you need to do to keep a roof over your head, and spend the rest of your time in your art. Fame is chancy, and cannot be the goal. Maybe you'll be noticed. Maybe you'll get to do it in front of coliseums of patrons, screaming your name and applauding. Maybe your book will sell 1,000,000 copies. Probably not. Even talented and hard working, you'll likely spend your time as the 99.99% who wallow, hoping to "make it", and never doing do. Be happy in the creation, screw what they think.